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By Robert Birsel and Shane Croucher
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The sons of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan accused the country's authorities of "psychological torture" as his family is left fearing the worst after weeks without contact.
Newsweek has contacted the Pakistani government via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The former cricket star Khan, 73, was elected prime minister in 2018 but was ousted in 2022 in a no-confidence vote in parliament after he fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military.
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Khan retains widespread support and protests against his treatment have at times brought chaos to the nuclear-armed, Muslim-majority country of some 250 million people.
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What To Know
Khan has been in jail since 2023, serving a 14-year sentence for a graft convention that he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said was cooked up by the military and its allies to keep him out of politics. The military denies that.
Pakistan’s military has ruled directly for about half of the country’s history since its creation in 1947 and even during periods of rule by civilian governments, the generals hold considerable influence.
Khan’s party says nobody has been allowed to visit him in jail or had proper contact with him since early November. Khan's personal doctor has also been denied access to him.
Pakistani authorities have said Khan is in good health and denied rumors that he would be transferred to another more secure prison to isolate him even more.
But Khan's supporters and his family are skeptical and say there has been no proof of life, despite a court order to allow weekly visits with him.
"Not knowing whether your father is safe, injured or even alive is a form of psychological torture," Kasim Khan, one of the sons, who both live in London, told Reuters.
"Today we have no verifiable information at all about his condition. Our greatest fear is that something irreversible is being hidden from us."
A prison official who declined to be identified told Reuters that Khan was in good health, adding that he was not aware of any plan for a move to a higher-security facility.
"This isolation is intentional,” said Kasim Khan, who said he last saw his father in November 2022.
“They are scared of him. He is Pakistan's most popular leader and they know they cannot defeat him democratically."
Kasim Khan and his older brother, Suleiman Isa Khan, live in London with their mother, Jemima Goldsmith.
What People Are Saying
Kasim Khan said: "This is not just a political dispute, It is a human rights emergency. Pressure must come from every direction. We draw strength from him, but we need to know he is safe."
What Happens Next
The Pakistani government has given no indication of when Khan will be allowed visits again.
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